Ugly Side
by EL0NI
Summary: She may have been rescued, she may have been able to return to her old life but something definitely ties her back to Hueco Mundo. When her friends realise this, it’s already too late. – IchiHime -
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Ugly Side

**Series: **Bleach

**Pairing: **Ichigo/Orihime, slight Aizen/Orihime and Hichigo/Orihime

**Rating: **T for now

**Summary: **She may have been rescued, she may have been able to return to her old life but something definitely ties her back to Hueco Mundo. When her friends realise this, it's already too late. – IchiHime -

**Warnings: **dark and rather angsty

**Note: **For The Ultimate Hali Challenge of 2010 at FLOL. First time I've written anything IchiHime so don't stone me if it's OOC/so bad it's horrible. I don't have a firm grip on their characterization yet.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own a thing.

* * *

'_I only want you to see  
My favourite part of me  
And not my ugly side  
Not my ugly side'_

**Chapter 1**

*****  
**

She was quietly humming a soft tune while she folded her clothes, placing them back into her drawer. She felt a bit listless, a regular occurrence since her return from Hueco Mundo, but since she was alone at home, she didn't feel the need to hide behind her usual cheerful smile.

Her voice died down abruptly as her fingers grasped an eerily familiar dress. It was silky, the white textile almost glowing in the sunlight. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

She didn't know why she kept it in the first place. In fact, she didn't know why she washed it out, hoping it would be spotless. The sleeves were still torn but she decided not to restore them; their absence would only remind her of all the things that had happened in Las Noches.

She figured it may be some kind of masochism on her part but she had to realise that couldn't be correct. She didn't feel pain when she thought back to her time spent there. She had been hurt physically and mentally but she didn't hold any grudges against either of her captors.

She may have simply wanted to remember the happenings so she would never repeat the mistakes she had made back then. She had been rescued only two months ago so the memories were as clear as day, but who knew if she would be able to remember them that clearly years later.

The ringing of the doorbell pulled her out of her thoughts. She quickly stuffed the white dress into the drawer, pausing for a moment, her brows furrowing as a pang of guilt shot through her at the sight of the crumpled cloth. She shook her head, not understanding where these strange feelings were coming from, feelings that would hit at the most unexpected times.

She rushed to the door, already suspecting who the visitor could be.

"Ah, finally. I was starting to worry you wouldn't open the door just like the other day." Tatsuki said a bit gruffly, but soon enough, her lips lifted in a smile.

"Sorry about that one, Tatsuki-chan. I didn't feel well at the time." Orihime replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. Well, at least that was half-true. She definitely hadn't felt well at the time but she highly doubted it had anything to do with physical sickness.

"Heh, and here I thought this numbskull was the one responsible this time."

The auburn haired girl looked puzzled till the tomboy reached to the side and pulled a grumbling Ichigo next to her.

"Oh, hello Kurosaki-kun." Orihime blinked and drew closer to the door, her fingers clutching at the handle.

The orange haired boy nodded and greeted her, before sending a glare at the black haired girl. Tatsuki's gaze was shifting between them before an annoyed sigh fell from her lips. She muttered something under her breath before grabbing Ichigo by the arm.

"Say Orihime, can we come in?"

"Of course! Sorry, I don't know what happened to my manners."

She stepped aside so her two friends could enter her small flat. She trailed after them, nervously rubbing her arm. She didn't know why, but the conversation with them felt awkward. The same applied to all of her friends and even her schoolmates. She didn't join in their conversations unless they specifically asked for her opinion. Some of them had mentioned she seemed a bit down but she always waved it off with a smile and quickly made up excuses.

"I was wondering-" Tatsuki began but a cough from Ichigo made her rephrase her sentence. "So we were wondering if you'd like to come with us to a little celebration this weekend. You barely leave your flat nowadays and we were worried you might start leading a hermit's life."

"Oh, don't worry about that, it's just because it's so cold outside." she gabbled, her arms flailing in front of her.

Tatsuki and Ichigo exchanged glances before the dark haired girl turned back to her friend, her tone becoming more serious.

"Look Orihime, you don't need to make up excuses now. I know it must be hard to process everything you've been through but we want to help you with it. Don't shut us out."

She stared at her with wide eyes, not quite believing what she had just heard.

"Tatsu-"

"Yes Orihime, I know." She said seriously, her eyes boring into hers. They shined with such steeled determination that Orihime knew it would be useless trying to deny anything. Her eyes shifted to Ichigo who had been quiet since he stepped into the room. His gaze met hers and before she could voice her question, he nodded firmly.

"You can tell her everything you don't feel like telling us." He paused, a dark shadow flitting over his face and eyes. He huffed to clear his head before continuing. "While we were away, Urahara-san told everything to her, as well as Keigo and Mizuiro. They…" Ichigo paused again, sending a strange look toward Tatsuki. "also seem to have… powers."

"P-powers?" she stuttered, not really believing her ears. "You mean…?"

"Well, Urahara said we have the potential to develop powers but so far all we can do is be aware of other people's reiatsu and the presence of hollows and Shinigami." The black haired girl explained, rolling her eyes. "That dimwitted Keigo still shrieks every time he spots a hollow somewhere in the town."

Orihime tried to laugh at that, because she had to admit, the image was indeed funny and she knew she would laugh at it any other time, but now it only came out as a forced giggle.

"I'm sure he will get used to it." She said with a smile on her lips. "I used to be afraid of them too but if you do develop powers, then you'll be able to take care of them."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt, the silence stretching uncomfortably long. Finally Tatsuki huffed and got up, prompting Ichigo to do the same.

"I see you are still not up to talking about it." She said, rubbing the back of her head.

"That might be because of my presence. I'll leave you two alone." Ichigo muttered and before Orihime could protest he left the room, sending one last mournful look at her.

Her shoulders slumped, her gaze lowered to the ground. Even though the war had ended and Aizen had been taken care of, they still hadn't resolved their issues. Orihime frowned, a bitter taste flooding her mouth. It wasn't supposed to be like this. No matter what story she took as her basis, after the hero won over the villain he was supposed to get the love interest so they and everybody else could live happily ever after.

A disappointed sigh fell from her lips. Of course it wouldn't happen that way in real life.

"You know, it was his idea to come here and try to drag you out into the sunlight." Tatsuki admitted, thrusting her hand into her pocket. "He cares about you and it hurts him that you won't open up to him about the things that happened in Hueco Mundo. I don't want to force you to talk about it or anything, but just be aware of that, OK?" she risked a smile at the auburn haired girl and was relieved to receive a genuine smile of her own.

"I'll do my best." Orihime answered and gave a quick hug to Tatsuki.

"We'll see you tomorrow afternoon around the same time, OK?"

Orihime nodded enthusiastically, her spirits lifting a little. She showed the other to the door, craning her neck to behold that familiar mop of orange hair, but realised Ichigo had already left.

She returned to her room with a thoughtful look on her face. She didn't even realise her bad mood had such an effect on the others. She should pull herself together as soon as possible before she became a burden to them again. With that in mind, she turned to exit her room and make something for dinner. She halted in the doorway as her eyes set on the crumpled white dress hanging out of her drawer.

"What an annoying cloth you are." She huffed with mock indignation and strode back to put it back neatly into the drawer.

Her fingers smoothed over the soft fabric as she carefully folded the dress. It seemed to have a strange power over her senses, she mused in an almost trance-like state.

She gasped as a sudden wave of numbness washed over her, almost like a loud sound wave resonating through her whole body, stiffening her from head to toe. Her brows furrowed when it repeated; she let go of the cloth so quickly one would think it'd burnt her. She stared in puzzlement at it for moments before a choking sound burst from her throat. Her vision was swaying, darkness creeping into it. She grabbed at the edge of the drawer, hoping it would help but knowing that this was something above mere nausea or any earthly sickness.

The next moment, she felt her consciousness being pulled back and forced under the heavy black blanket of oblivion. She was falling into yawning darkness, less and less aware of her surroundings or her own thoughts.

…

She took a deep breath and stood up straight, letting go of the edge of the furniture. Her eyes scanned the room, pausing at the crumpled white dress at her feet. A smile crept over her lips and she bent down for it, lifting it to her face in adoration.

She looked around again, spotting a full body mirror standing in the corner of the room. She walked in front of it, dropping her clothes as she went, without a care for where they fell. She looked her nude self over, satisfaction evident on her face and in her golden-black eyes.

She dressed slowly, sparing no time to make the silky, white dress fit her perfectly. The sleeves may have been missing but that only highlighted her creamy white shoulders and slender arms. She adjusted her hairpins last, her smile widening as she examined them more thoroughly.

She smoothed her hands down her body one last time before turning away from her reflection, her arm extending in a graceful move. A small flick of her wrist was enough to rip through the texture of dimensions, opening a Garganta that would lead her back to Hueco Mundo.

* * *

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

***

**Chapter 2**

*****  
**

Her apathetic expression didn't betray her emotions as her golden-black gaze swept the landscape. Her auburn hair and her white robes flapped wildly in the wind, but it didn't seem to bother her. Greyish white clouds of sand danced among the deserted buildings of Las Noches, thinly veiling the ruins.

She was the only living creature in the otherwise perfectly dead and still landscape.

"They didn't waste time to flee the place, did they?" she asked the abandoned palace in a quiet tone, not expecting an answer. Her lips curved slightly upward at the mere thought of the Arrancar abandoning their fallen master and everything that symbolized his reign.

With that satisfied smirk on her lips, she started toward the throne room where she knew something was waiting for her. She couldn't feel its presence per se, but she and her other half's shared memories provided her enough information to find her way around Las Noches. The closer she got to the central building complex, the more excited she became.

However, the moment she set eyes on the Five Towers and the crashed in dome, memories flooded her mind and she felt a sudden pull on her consciousness. She had to stop for a moment to close her eyes and push down her other half's presence.

'_If you know what's good for you a__nd for your loved ones, you won't even try to take over.'_ she warned the girl trapped inside their inner world. She pushed every thought of her into the back of her mind, thus blocking out her response. She pressed her lips together to suppress her anger; she needed time to finalize her influence over their body and to shut out her other half once and for all.

She quickened her steps up the stairs, her satisfied smile returning to her features as she neared the throne room. She found the door wide open, partly torn from its hinges. Debris and dust covered the ground, reminding her of the battles that had taken place there - battles that her other half witnessed. She could use her memories to observe any detail that was needed for her goals.

Her gaze was drawn to one specific place on the ground near the throne and she stepped closer with bated breath, her eyes wide with excitement. She extended her hand, keeping it over that spot and let a small part of her reiatsu loose.

The sound of victory died down in her before she could even let it past her lips. She watched the slender column that rose from the ground expectantly, hoping that somehow one more round segment would roll out of its place to reveal the Hogyoku. It didn't happen though, leaving her to stare at the empty case bitterly.

"Did you really think they would leave it here?"

She spun around at the sudden voice, her gaze setting on a dark figure huddling up in a shadowy corner. Her brows furrowed in thought as she searched within their shared memories for the intruder's name.

"You are Loly." she stated calmly, taking a step toward the other female.

The black haired girl looked her up and down with her dull, puffy eyes as if contemplating if she was worthy of a reply.

"You look like her… yet you are obviously not her." she muttered, the maniac glint in her wide eyes both alarming and repulsive.

She knew that the Arrancar female had hated her back then when she was held captive in Hueco Mundo. It was also true that she wasn't too fond of her either, no matter what her other half thought of that. But for now she was her only chance to get the information she needed so she decided to try and get in her good graces.

She slowly stepped closer to her and crouched on the ground in front of her, keeping a safe distance so she wouldn't alarm her.

"You are right; I'm not the one who took your Aizen-sama away from you."

That sentence got her a visible shudder and she could hear the Arrancar's teeth grinding together.

"Do you know where they took the Hogyoku?" she asked patiently, firmly enough to redirect the girl's attention to herself.

"No." she spat curtly, gripping the edge of her flimsy skirt. "If I knew, I would have tried to get my hands on it so I could somehow help Aizen-sama."

Her brows furrowed lightly.

"Help Aizen-sama? Is he still alive?"

"Yes!" Loly cried with renewed vigour. "He is alive somewhere, they didn't kill him, _couldn't_ kill him, so they locked him away somewhere. They even said this will be a bigger punishment for him, being deprived of his powers and forced to live as a maggot, the farthest position from being a god."

The more she talked, the angrier she became. By the end of her brief speech she was shaking all over from the barely-contained emotions.

Her thin, auburn brows furrowed in thought. This new information surely changed a few things but with careful preparations, she could make an advantage out of it.

"Are there other Arrancar who didn't flee Las Noches after the end of the war?" she asked warily.

"Menoly survived for some time…" Loly muttered, tilting her head to the side and motioning toward the damaged wall. "That blow didn't kill her. She suffered for a week before she died. I've heard some people move around down there among the ruins but they didn't come up here and I didn't go down there so we never spoke."

Her golden-black eyes shifted to the heap of flesh at the base of the wall that Loly pointed at.

"Do you want to see her breathing and talking again?" she asked with drawn-up eyebrows, slowly looking back at the half-crazed girl.

Said girl's head snapped up and she gaped at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

Her lips twisted into a smirk and she stood up, approaching the corpse.

Loly was such a simple, easily readable creature, she mused to herself. One would think she was truly concerned with Menoly's well-being and she had to admit sometimes even she – or her other half, she wasn't entirely sure – had the same impression. However, her more rational self knew better. These two girls' relationship was that of co-dependence. Menoly being the meeker of the two needed someone stronger to follow and Loly, who was more aggressive but still pathetically weak compared to the other Arrancar, found someone in the blond girl who she could abuse and boss around without that someone actually fighting back. They were both at the bottom of Las Noches' hierarchy but that didn't matter, as long as Loly got to be above at least one other person.

The relationship might have been twisted but it worked on their level, she thought while calling out for her power. The two fragments flew above the dead body but instead of the usual warm orange colour, the dome of the shield was eerily red and soot-like smoke emerged from it as it worked.

"Why do you keep helping us...?" Loly asked and for the first time in probably days – or even weeks – she stood up, holding onto the wall to support her weakened body.

She cast a sideways glance at the still shaking figure before turning back to her work.

"I expect you to help me in return. If you don't, I'll just kill you both and you'll never see your Aizen-sama again."

A keening sound erupted from the dark haired girl and she reached inside her outfit, hoping to find her zanpakotou.

Her golden-black eyes narrowed but she only smiled when it turned out that Loly didn't have the dagger on her – she must have forgotten to recover it in her maniac delirium.

As if on cue, Menoly's body twitched and she let out a pained groan. Loly's head snapped up and she ran to the other Arrancar, falling on her knees next to the red shield and crying the other's name.

She watched the unfolding scene with an amused expression and called her fairies back. She didn't need to worry about these two anymore; they would be faithful enough to her from now on. Just one more tiny declaration and they would be particularly chained to her.

"Get your swords and anything else that you might need in a fight. We are going to bring your Aizen-sama back."

***

She fell back tiredly onto the ground, her face twisted in a painful expression. No matter how hard she tried now, she couldn't initiate contact with that hollow anymore.

She was fairly sure it was a hollow. She didn't know much about them but she had caught little bits of information here and there whenever Kurosaki-kun or any of the Vizard had talked about them... which had been pretty rarely so her knowledge was spare.

For example, there was one thing she didn't understand at all: she was not a shinigami, so how was it possible for her to get her own hollow? She hadn't thought about it much but her powers were unlike any other member's of the Gotei 13 or Arrancar, or Quincy. At least Sado-kun got to know about the origin of his powers, but she was still perfectly unaware where she belonged in this world. Hachigen-san said her Rikka could be likened to the Vizard's power, but that didn't make her a Vizard herself, did it? She had neither a zanpakotou nor a hollow mask... but now she had a hollow to deal with.

First, she was confused, then a little scared and she may have panicked a bit too, but then she remembered all the things that happened to the others. If Kurosaki-kun could repress his hollow – no matter how much effort it took him – she was going to do it too.

She sat up with a swift move and looked around, paying attention to her surroundings for the first time since she got there. She was in the middle of a field covered by thousands of white flowers, some of which seemed to glow in the strong sunlight. Anxiety swelled in her when she took a closer look at them and noticed how at least half of them were withered or wizened. She averted her eyes, shaking off the unpleasant feeling. It must have been because the hollow side took over.

She stood up, dusting herself off. That was when she noticed that she was wearing her Arrancar uniform again. She really should have gotten rid of it when she had the chance, she concluded, but decided not to worry about such a small thing for now. She looked around again, taking a deep breath. When she had been training with Kuchiki-san in Soul Society, they would often talk about how their powers worked so they could fight more efficiently. From what she had learnt then, she knew that the spirit of the Shinigami's sword was supposed to live in the inner world... but what should she expect? Her powers worked differently than that of a Shinigami, so would it be a waste of time to try and search for her fairies?

'It's not like I have anything else to do.' she thought and started toward a random direction, calling out each of their names.

***

"Have you looked everywhere?"

"Of course I did! I searched the whole town, her favourite places, the school, _everywhere_."

"What about the riverbank?"

"I've tried there too but she wasn't there."

"Damn it."

Ichigo and Tatsuki were standing in front of Orihime's flat, arguing loudly. The front door was wide open – Ichigo having kicked it in to check whether she was really alright -, prompting some of the neighbours to keep looking at the two of them suspiciously.

"What if she just left town?"

"Where would she go and why? Why didn't she at least leave us a message? She knows that we would worry about her and she would want to assure us that she is OK."

They both fell silent, the dreaded question hanging in the air unspoken.

"She has been acting strange nowadays. Maybe the two things are somehow connected?"

Ichigo's hand raked his hair, his scowl harder than ever.

"But who would kidnap her again and why? There is no one left in Hueco Mundo to do that."

"You should contact Soul Society and tell them what happened."

"They would just assume she betrayed us again. I'll just go and check it on my own. There's really no one left in Las Noches who would stand in my way, I'll probably be done in a day."

Tatsuki looked at him with a contemplating expression before she nodded slowly.

"I'll tell the others just in case. If you don't return by tomorrow morning, we are going after you."

"Alright then, see you later."

With that, Ichigo ran off toward the Urahara Shoten, leaving a worried Tatsuki behind.

* * *

TBC

A/N: Yeah, I know that the Hogyoku is originally not in the throne room but I felt the need to simplify the events so I moved it there.

Also, the idea for Orihime's inner world came from the Sky Chord ending. Hime's hollow is not as batshit crazy as Hichigo, but you'll get to know her as the story goes.

Sorry for writing such short chapters for this story but I'd rather update as soon as possible than make you wait even longer.


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